Melissa Aguilar

Need a quick dessert that will impress your Fourth of July guests? Take advantage of the beautiful strawberries in season and try this no-fuss strawberry shortcake recipe that The Cheese Twins, Charlie and Michael Kalish of Food Network, created to pair with Meiomi Rosé. We found Madagascar Vanilla Crème Fraîche at Whole Foods.Keep the ingredients on hand for an easy summer treat anytime friends drop by.Vanilla Crème Fraiche Strawberry ShortcakeServes 5By The Cheese Twins for MeiomiIngredients2…

Dennis Quaid made a homecoming trip to Bellaire to shake, rattle and roll the hamlet out of its post-Harvey funk.He helped the community raise $100,000 for first responders with his concert at the town pavilion, billed as the Bellaire Brave block party.“This is a great community where people really care about each other,” Quaid said. “It’s a place of hope and optimism.“One third of the homes in Bellaire flooded during Hurricane Harvey, and the town’s first responders worked around the clock help…

Houston-area gardeners haven’t given up on their gardens. Hibiscus, lilies and pentas fill our sunny beds, while impatiens and gingers add intrigue to our shade gardens. A couple of gardeners have reported success with the dinnerplate dahlia, an heirloom favorite. Our readers shared these photos of plants that beat the heat. What’s working in your garden? Send photos of your successes and gardening tips (with “blooming” in the subject line) to melissa.aguilar@chron.com.

Who says coloring is for kids? When we published Chronicle artist Nadya Shakoor’s drawing of Texas animals in the Dec. 25 issue of Zest, we had no idea how much adults like to color. We should have seen it coming with the wealth of grown-up coloring books published in the past year. “I have not had this much fun since I was a little girl,” wrote Tiny Albert, who is “88 years young.” “This is what you get when you don’t put an age limit. Haha!” We wouldn’t dream of it, Tiny. Our contest entrants…

Get your lists ready, kids. Put on your Sunday best and head to the Galleria for a photo with Santa.Santa Central has gotten a makeover. Old St. nick is framed by glistening archways, white birch trees, Christmas trees -- and wrapped presents galore.You can get comfy on his family-sized throne, perfect for pictures.The Galleria has spruced up its holiday décor, which includes lots of festive selfie backdrops, giant illuminated ornaments and twinkling trees. The Ice Rink’s signature Christmas tr…

When Mark Burns [/search/?action=search&channel=life%2Ftravel&inlineLink=1&searchindex=property&query=%22Mark+Burns%22] set out to photograph all 59 national parks for the National Park Service Centennial [/search/?action=search&channel=life%2Ftravel&inlineLink=1&searchindex=property&query=%22National+Park+Service+Centennial%22], he wanted his photos to be timeless. He shot in black and white as a bridge to the early photographers - Ansel Adams [/search/?action=search&channel=life%2Ftravel&inlin…

Mickey Rosmarin [/search/?action=search&channel=life%2Fstyle%2Ffashion&inlineLink=1&searchindex=property&query=%22Mickey+Rosmarin%22], who influenced the style of Houston’s social set as the owner of Tootsies, died Friday of a heart attack. He was 63.For more than 40 years, he was a fixture on Houston’s fashion scene. He dressed the city’s trendsetters.Rosmarin hosted many social and charity events at the store, which relocated in 2011 from its Highland Village digs to a ultra-modern fashion pal…

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK – Fortunes have changed in Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico, a tiny little village just a stone’s throw over the Rio Grande River from Big Bend National Park. It’s been two years since the popular crossing from the park to Boquillas reopened to tourists. Friday, both sides celebrated the cooperation it took to get the crossing back open. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and her Mexican counterpart, Juan José Guerra Abud, Mexico’s secretary of the environment and natural…

Stand-up comedian Samuel J. Comroe’s Wednesday appearance at Houston Baptist University was cut short by the school when a student asked the comic, who suffers from Tourette Syndrome, what sex was like with his condition. Comroe said he arrived 30 minutes before his performance and asked a school administrator involved with the event if any subjects were off limits. “They said, ‘No cussing,’” Comroe said in a online video he posted about the incident. “I didn’t cuss.” Comroe said the school told…

Holiday shopping is more fun when kids are on the top of your list. We hit the stores looking for toys that mix imagination, learning and entertainment, and these wonderful wrappables will help you play Santa.

The Alley Theatre [/search/?action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas&inlineLink=1&searchindex=property&query=%22Alley+Theatre%22] has canceled early performances of its production of Arthur Miller [/search/?action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas&inlineLink=1&searchindex=property&query=%22Arthur+Miller%22]’s “Death of a Salesman,” due to lead actor James Black’s unspecified illness.Performances of the show are canceled through Friday. The play was to have previewed this weekend and opened o…